Getting the new year off to a healthy start is a resolution that many people have set themselves once again in 2022 – and a healthy diet is an essential part of that. Most consumers expect more from food and beverages than just naturalness and a good taste: They want the right diet to have a positive effect on their long-term health and general well-being.

Products that support certain vital functions or aspects of health, such as the immune system, gut health or energy levels, are in especially high demand. Yet, an optimum balance between appearance, scent, taste, sound and mouthfeel is crucial for the success of food. Products’ emotional significance is also becoming ever more important, with applications that trigger a positive mood especially popular. Based on the latest findings of nutritional science, the Doehler team is developing the products of tomorrow – products that combine plant-based nutrition, naturalness and optimized nutritional profiles with unique multi-sensory experiences and meet the needs of environmentally and health-conscious consumers.

Doehler’s new portfolio of “Natural SuperHeroes” opens up new options for products with a healthy positioning that provide a range of health benefits – everything from heart health, mental fitness and gut health to the immune system and general well-being.

Healthy digestion is crucial to a person’s general well-being and plays a key role in preventing illness. Demand for functional foods that promote gut health is therefore increasing all the time. With “GutHealthHero Prebiotic Baobab”, Doehler uses a pure, selected fruit powder that has been scientifically tested for its prebiotic properties. The powder promotes the selective growth of “good” gut bacteria, thus supporting gut health. The acid-stable product can be used in a wide range of food and beverage applications that offer added health value, such as cereals and dietary supplements. The next GutHealthHero, a product based on Jerusalem artichoke, is also ready to go.

Mobilizing the body’s own defences and strengthening the immune system is more important than ever before. Doehler’s “ImmuneHero Acerola” provides added value for almost any food and beverage application. Made from acerola, the fruit powder is available in standardized quality – and organic, too.

A healthy lifestyle also involves reducing sugar in the diet. Be it snacks or carbonated soft drinks, reduced-sugar versions are in higher demand than ever. Yet, the reduced-sugar options still need to hold their own against traditional products in terms of taste and sensory properties.

Natural foods like fruit have a natural sweetness and are increasingly being used to sweeten products. Fruits and spices can be employed as sweeteners in snacks, bars, baked goods and many other applications. Even vegetable ingredients can be used to reduce sugar – juices and purées made from courgette or cucumber contain less sugar than fruit-based equivalents while also creating innovative taste sensations. Doehler’s “MultiSweet Fruit” offers one way to use the natural sweetness of fruit. Produced without chemical additives throughout the whole process, the product has a sweetening intensity comparable to that of added sugar while offering the full, rounded taste of real sugar.

More and more people are pursuing a modern and sustainable lifestyle. As part of this, many now largely or completely avoid animal products. Yet, many consumers who love every aspect of the traditional taste of milk are to be convinced by the taste and texture of plant-based alternatives. In order to increase their popularity, the aftertaste needs to be reduced, the typical milk taste enhanced and the rather watery mouthfeel improved. Doehler’s “Plant-based Signatures”, which are based on innovative technologies like precision fermentation, are a suitable solution to this challenge. Using oats, rice or chick peas as their starting materials, these novel products create totally new taste sensations and help to make a plant-based product taste exactly like milk, yoghurt or cheese.

Products made from and with chick peas are also rich in protein, with a creamy consistency and a buttery, nutty taste. An innovation here is aquafaba, the water the chick peas are cooked in, which can be used to replace beaten egg whites. Aquafaba enables the production of plant-based alternatives to ice cream and macarons. Doehler’s aquafaba is suitable for applications like baked goods such as sponge cake, as well as tasty meringues.

The first product characteristic to be perceived is colour – it creates expectations and influences the purchasing decision. Choosing the right colour is a way to manage the product positioning of food and beverages. White, for example, is associated with purity. In the past, the white pigment titanium dioxide was used to give foods a light, clear tone. However, it is no longer approved for use in many markets and products. Doehler has drawn on the wide range of natural colours to develop a natural white colour that provides whitening solutions for all kinds of boiled sweets, as well as pan coatings for confectionery – without any titanium dioxide at all: “White Diamond” is a natural solution that can be absorbed by the body and has additional nutritional benefits.

Also essential for unique indulgence is mouthfeel, and an unmistakeable texture can be the argument that triggers a repeat purchase. What makes the perfect bite varies from product to product and needs to match the other product characteristics. There are thus numerous ways to complete the perfect multi-sensory experience – with a unique crunch, a tender, creamy consistency or perfect melting properties.

Doehler’s pectins based on apple or citrus are a solution for very good results in the texture of jams and fruit fillings with high Brix values. Apples and citrus fruits are naturally rich in pectin and cellulose fibres, which give the fruits their firmness and flexibility. This makes the solutions especially cost-efficient compared to alternatives on the market and allows use of the claim “Clean Label Texturizer”. Pectins are also soluble fibres and therefore have a positive effect on
intestinal flora.

Demand for healthy snack options is also increasing, with multi-sensory taste variants being very popular. Freeze-dried, crunchy fruit drops are especially popular and suitable for snacks, muesli mixes, confectionery and baked goods. They give products an intense fruity taste and add the colour typical of the fruits. As well as their crunchy texture, they offer a pleasant mouthfeel and slow melting properties.